Overview:

Using herbal chicken feed supplements as a competitive substitute for traditional feed additives has gained a lot of attention in recent years. These supplements, which come from natural sources like herbs, spices, and plant extracts, have several advantages for the well-being and output of chickens. The goal of these articles is to explore the benefits of adding herbal feed supplements to chicken diets and show how they can improve a number of poultry production-related factors.

Optimal Digestive Health:

A wide range of natural substances found in herbal supplements have been shown to provide the best possible digestive health in chickens. Garlic, ginger, and turmeric are among the ingredients that have shown promise in enhancing gut health, improving nutrient absorption, and reducing the incidence of digestive diseases. Herbal feed ingredients enhance the digestive system, which benefits poultry performance and development rates.

Enhanced Immunity:

Some plants and herbs have immunomodulatory qualities that help bolster chickens’ immune systems. Flavonoids such as oregano, thyme, and echinacea have demonstrated the ability to elicit immunological responses, which can lower infection rates and improve flock health. Herbal feed supplements have the potential to decrease the use of antibiotics in chicken production by promoting a strong immune system.

Effects of Natural Antioxidants:

Antioxidants, which are abundant in many herbs and spices used in chicken feed supplements, are essential for scavenging dangerous free radicals and shielding cells from oxidative damage. Herbal supplements can promote healthier birds, better meat quality, and longer shelf lives for poultry products by adding natural antioxidants to the diet.

Sustainable & Eco-Friendly: 

Compared to traditional feed additives, herbal supplements offer a more environmentally friendly and sustainable option in addition to their health benefits. These supplements, which come from renewable resources, frequently have negligible adverse effects on the environment. Poultry growers can support a more environmentally friendly and sustainable method of producing poultry by choosing to use herbal feed supplements.

Herbal feed additives for chicken offer several benefits, such as improved immune system function, stronger digestion, increased natural antioxidant effects, and less environmental impact. Farmers can adopt a more sustainable approach to chicken production while simultaneously enhancing the general productivity and well-being of their flocks by adding these nutrients to their meals. Using herbal feed supplements is a viable way to maximise chicken health and make sure the business survives in the long run.

Using of Moringa oleifera as one of the most significant supplements for  chicken because  of high nutritional value. The main nutrients found in Moringa leaves include sources of vitamin B complex, vitamin C, pro-vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene, vitamin K, manganese, and protein. The leaves of the Moringa tree are high in lipids, proteins, vitamins, and minerals and also have antibacterial properties. Moringa leaf extract contains a small amount of polyphenols, which are important for lipid metabolism. The micronutrients in Moringa leaves make them one of the main components of a supplement used in poultry feed.

Moringa oleifera Influence on Broiler Feed Efficiency

The presence of different bioactive components in Moringaleaf extracts, which may play a role in improved nutrient utilization in supplemented birds, was linked to higher body weight and lower FCR. Moringa leaf meal can be used as a natural protein source in broiler diets.

Higher levels of Moringa oleifera leaves in broiler diets result in faster growth and better health status in broilers. M. oleifera leaf powder could improve broiler live weight, body weight gain, dressing percentage, and FCR. Broilers given Moringa oleifera leaf meal showed no discernible variations in growth performance or economic metrics. Due to the anti-nutritional properties of Moringa leaves, feeding broilers with Moringa leaf meal resulted in lower feed intake and increased FCR. Broilers body weight, average daily weight gain, FCR, mortality, and organ weight were unaffected by the dietary application of Moringa leaf meal.

The highest amount that is 5% of Moringa oleifera leaf meal in diets was used without having any negative effects on broiler growth performance or average daily growth rate. The aforementioned declaration attested to the fact that feeding broilers with Moringa leaves had no negative effects on their normal physiology or growth.

Moringa oleifera impact on the bones and meat worth of broilers

The quality of the meat in poultry can be increased in part through dietary alteration. Broiler chicken meat is a fantastic source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and lower fat, it is in high demand among consumers. Consumers place a high value on meat pH, tenderness, colour and water holding capacity. The pH, water holding capacity, and muscle fibre diameter of broiler breast muscles have been rising as a result of adding Moringa leaf powder to the daily feed. Increased weight, ash content, and tibia bone density in broilers fed Moringa leaf diet.

Moringa increased the muscle pH values in boilers as a result of the myofibrils stability through the activation of antioxidant characteristics and the suppression of free radicals. Higher breast muscle weight could be the result of increased protein deposition in broilers by supplying of Moringa leaf powder with feed.

The elevated tibia bone weight and ash percent may be due to the presence of phytoestrogen flavonoids in Moringa leaves powder. Meat quality and frying loss, moisture loss, meat texture, and pH are all negatively impacted by the oxidative state of meat muscle. A possible method to raise the meat quality in broilers would be to add antioxidant-rich Moringa leaves to the diet.

Moringa Oleifera Health Advantages for Broilers

Increased lipid metabolism in broilers caused by higher natural fiber content in Moringa leaves helps to decrease cholesterol levels. Additionally, broilers blood parameters such as hemoglobin percentage, total number of red blood cells, and total packed cell volume will increases as a result of the daily addition of Moringa leaf to their feed. Supplementation of Moringa leaf will improve the broilers growth performance and intestinal micronutrients.

The structural properties of the chicken intestine are essential for nutrient absorption and a sign of healthy physiology. In broilers fed powdered Moringa leaf, the length and empty weight of the small intestine were found to be increased. The villus height, villus surface, and villus height/crypt dept of broilers are all increased by mixing powdered Moringa leaves with feed. Greater surface area of higher villi suggests improved nutritional absorption, which is a sign of a healthy digestive tract.

A high level of crude fiber in diets supplemented with Moringa may be related to improvements in villus height and the villus height/crypt depth ratio. Provide the Moringa leaf powder with feed for broiler increased the total goblet cells of duodenum and also enhances the mucosal protection. The aforementioned facts show that adding Moringa oleifera to a broiler’s feed can modify intestinal structure and acidic mucin production without having any negative impact on growth.

It is possible that the extract from Moringa oleifera leaves will work as an antioxidant and antibacterial. Due to the presence of selenium, carotenoids, flavonoids, vitamins C and E, and carotenoids, moringa oleifera is recognized as a possible antioxidant potential. Carotenoids, flavonoids, chlorophyll, phenolics, xanthins, cytokines, alkaloids, and other Phytochemical are present in Moringa oleifera leaves and have a role of enhancing health status in broiler chicken. We can use M. oleifera as an alternative for antibiotics in chickens so that it may be used as an effective strategy for producing organic meat. It could be concluded that M. oleifera can be used as an environmentally friendly feed supplement in chicken ration.

Numerous studies have shown that M. oleifera can be used to effectively produce organic meat by substituting it for antibiotics in chicken. M. oleifera will be added to broiler chicken feed as a compactable supplement.